Natasha arrived in Cranbrook from Australia around the same time as Brian and Heather opened Jewels on Ninth. “We go way back,” Natasha said. “My first job before getting my RN license in Canada was at Jewels.” They have remained close even as Natasha moved into healthcare.

Years later, a friend in Cranbrook introduced Natasha to Tony Rounds, originally from Seattle. He was in British Columbia for hunting. Soon after, Natasha travelled to the United States for a half marathon. “We kept in contact via text for months,” she said. “We decided to meet and the rest is history.”

On March 4, 2017, Natasha and Tony Rounds were married on a beach at McKenna Cove in Maui.

The proposal

Tony asked Natasha to marry him on the third anniversary of their initial meeting. “He arrived in Cranbrook and took me out to dinner,” she said. “I thought he was going to ask me then, but he waited until the next day over coffee at home.” The quietly romantic proposal was perfect for this couple. “He is a private person. He doesn’t like to do beautiful things with other people around—just the two of us.”

They opted for a destination beach wedding at McKenna Cove in Maui. “Both of us have always wanted a beach wedding,” Natasha said. Plus, the location was a literal half-way meeting point for her family in Australia, and his in Seattle. The intimate gathering included a handful of those closest to them. “We wanted our family and friends to have a great holiday as well as join us for our wedding.”

Tony took control of organizing the details—a thoughtful gesture for his fiancé who was busy completing her Masters in Healthcare Management and Leadership. “He didn’t want me to feel overwhelmed,” Natasha said. “From the house rental on the beach with seventeen family members, to the limo to McKenna Cove. I literally just had to turn up and say yes!”

On March 4, 2017, Natasha and Tony Rounds were married.

One more question

This love story, however, is more about their special wedding day than their engagement—not that a quiet coffee proposal isn’t adorable, but Tony managed to surprise Natasha again at their wedding in true Tony style.

“We were surrounded by close friends and family in Maui for our wedding,” Natasha said. Their two sons, aged 17 and 18, were their groomsmen. They released butterflies after the ceremony. The glowing sunset waited for the newlyweds to snap photos before taking the limo back to their beach house where their friends and family waited for cake and congratulations. “I was already feeling so content and grateful.”

Before cutting the cake at the reception, Tony asked Natasha to join him in private for a moment. “He pulled me aside and gave me a beautiful wedding band to go with my already beautiful engagement ring!” To Natasha’s shock, the new ring was from Jewels on Ninth, just like her engagement ring. “How Heather and Tony arranged to get it to Maui is above and beyond,” she said, especially because Tony lives in Seattle. “So happy! So spoiled!”

Natasha admitted that she expected a new ring at the ceremony if Tony was going to give her one. However, Tony’s quietly romantic proposal was the perfect surprise, just like the first time he popped the question over coffee.

The Ring

Natasha’s engagement ring is a Canadian diamond band with a rounded diamond centre. The wedding band is its delicate match. “Beautiful detail and diamonds,” she said.